Ange Postecoglou earned his first point in charge of Nottingham Forest against Burnley as both sides shared the spoils in 1-1 draw at Turf Moor.
In-form Jaidon Anthony struck again for the home side to cancel out Neco Williams' early opener.
After defeats in his first two matches in charge, it looked like Postecoglou was on track for victory on Saturday when Williams’ emphatic finish put his side ahead after just 98 seconds.
But Anthony levelled for Burnley with his third Premier League goal of the season after a goalmouth scramble midway through the first half, and that ultimately proved to be the last goal of the game.
Both sides came close to a winner, with Burnley’s Loum Tchaouna striking the crossbar with a free-kick and Forest substitute Igor Jesus forcing an excellent save from Martin Dubravka, who was kept busy throughout the contest.
The point for both sides sees Forest move up to 14th, while Burnley rise to 16th.
How the match unfolded
Forest got off to a dream start when a Douglas Luiz corner reached Williams on the edge of the penalty area and the Wales international’s lashed effort took a slight deflection before flying into the roof of Dubravka’s net.
But it took just 18 minutes for Burnley to equalise, as Oleksandr Zinchenko, who was making his Premier League debut for Forest, failed to prevent Anthony’s close-range attempt from squeezing in after a cross had sparked chaos in the penalty area.
Forest regained some control after that setback, having more of the possession and territory, but it was Burnley who came closest to scoring the third goal of the game before the break, with Tchaouna’s free-kick rattling off the bar, with goalkeeper Matz Sels seemingly beaten.
In the second half, where the game became increasingly stretched, both sides looked to take advantage on the counter-attack.
Forest looked the more likely as the match progressed, with Dubravka making a series of saves to keep the scoreline level, the pick of which came from an Igor Jesus header.
The visitors continued to lay siege on Burnley’s penalty area in the final stages, but some heroic defending by Maxime Esteve and Hjalmar Ekdal helped to preserve a point.
Burnley re-establish late resilience
Burnley knew they needed something from this game, as after an EFL Cup tie at home to Cardiff City on Tuesday, the Clarets have consecutive away matches against two of last season’s top six in Manchester City and Aston Villa.
They had cruelly fallen victim to decisive stoppage-time penalties in consecutive Premier League games against Manchester United and Liverpool respectively in their previous matches, having matched both teams stride-for-stride until the final moments.
So despite registering three defeats in four top-flight outings heading the game, the Clarets had shown encouraging signs.
The defeat to champions Liverpool had been their first defeat at home in over a year and that impressive home resilience was on show again here, with the relief from the Turf Moor crowd palpable when the final whistle blew, with Burnley this time having something to show from another solid performance.
Having built a promotion-winning campaign on defensive solidity, Scott Parker’s side were back to their organised and disciplined best. Without the suspended Lesley Oguchukwu, Deadline-Day signing Florentino was given his first start in midfield, performing expertly in front of the Clarets’ backline with a combative display.
Forest earn first point under Postecoglou
After being convincingly outgunned in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal last week and then suffering a late collapse against Championship side Swansea City in the EFL Cup, Forest responded reasonably well here, securing the first point of Postecoglou’s tenure.
Forest had looked anything but sharp in recent weeks, heading into the clash on a run of three straight defeats across all competitions and without a win since their 3-1 opening triumph over Brentford on the opening weekend.
This time, though, they combined grit with glimpses of the expansive, high-tempo football their new boss has been trying to instil. Forest’s players, long accustomed to the pragmatism of Nuno Espirito Santo, had looked to have initially struggled with the demands of Postecoglou’s possession-heavy, attack-minded system.
But here, his ideas clicked more fluently, offering supporters plenty of hope.
Elliot Anderson was, once again, central to Forest’s display and subsequent control of the game. The England international, who received plaudits during his performances for the Three Lions during the recent international break, was constantly looking to drive his side forward with his progressive passing.
After Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur side conceded 65 goals in the Premier League last season, the Australian’s defensive nous has occasionally been the subject of questions, and Forest certainly looked susceptible to counter-attacks here, as they left themselves exposed in pursuit of a winner.
But were it not for seven saves from the impressive Dubravka, Postecoglou could well have been celebrating his first victory.
Having shipped 11 in their last five across all competitions, Postecoglou will demand further improvement, but this result felt like an important step in the right direction.
Forest are away to Real Betis as they return to continental football in the UEFA Europa League, a competition Postecoglou won with Spurs last season, before they host promoted Sunderland next Saturday in the Australian’s first home game in charge.
Club reports
What the mangers said
Scott Parker: "A really competitive game. I thought both sides were throwing jabs and were looking for the knockout. We got off to a disappointing start with the early goal from them. We were the team who showed a real ascendancy about us. We came out the blocks for the second half and had a big chance."
Ange Postecoglou: "It is always a tough game here. Really happy with certain parts, we controlled it well and their keeper pulled off some great saves. We lost a certain amount of control but disappointed we didn't take all three points. We had a couple of sloppy moments and it allowed them to get a bit of traction in the game. We still created enough chances to win the game."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Burnley have now gone 26 home league games without conceding more than once, since a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest in May 2024.
Nott'm Forest averaged 63.3 per cent possession against Burnley, their highest in a Premier League match since their return to the division in 2022.
Anthony has three goals and one assist so far this season, the joint-most goal involvements by a player in Burnley’s first five games of a Premier League campaign (Ashley Barnes also with four in 2019/20).
Williams’ opener at 01:38 was Nottingham Forest’s sixth ever Premier League goal scored in the opening two minutes of a match, five of which have come away from home.